3 different mural events showcase public art throughout Detroit this September

What’s happening: The typically pleasant weather of late summer and early autumn in Detroit is proving to be a popular time of year to celebrate the city’s wealth of public art as three festivals stretch out across the month of September, showcasing local murals and the artists that paint them. Two are currently underway, the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival and the Electrifly Detroit Immersive Art Gallery, with the third, a new-look Murals in the Market, taking place closer to the end of the month.

Kicking things off: The BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival opened things up this past Thursday, Sept. 7, in Highland Park and Detroit’s North End, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 17. The festival celebrates local and national BIPOC muralists, and will see more than 25 new murals painted largely along the Woodward corridor with a couple more along East Grand Boulevard. A family-friendly block party is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chroma Building.

Learn more HERE.

Tech savvy: The Electrifly Detroit Immersive Art Gallery opened on Sunday, Sept. 8, and runs each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 30, at the First National Building downtown. The festival comes courtesy of the Mattan brothers Moody, Zach, and Malik, with the former being the founder and CEO of the no-code augmented reality platform BrandXR and the latter two being co-founders and CEO and CMO, respectively, of Electrifly. Hailing from the city’s westside, the Mattans have made a name for themselves with their augmented reality murals, where they collaborate with muralists to make their artworks “come alive.” Users can hold up their phones to a participating mural and the artwork will move and respond to guests’ actions.

Learn more HERE.

[Related: Read “Street art festival aims to establish Detroit as a destination for augmented reality murals” on Model D Media.]

New location for an old friend: And finally, the oft-celebrated Murals in the Market festival has moved from Eastern Market to the Islandview neighborhood this year, taking place from Tuesday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sept. 30. More than 28 artists will be creating new murals in Islandview over the course of the festival, and Design Core’s Detroit Month of Design official closing block party takes place on that final Saturday.

Learn more HERE.

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